On August 21, 2015, three young Americans — Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone — along with other passengers thwarted an attempted terrorist attack on a high-speed train in Northern France. Clint Eastwood thought their story would make a good movie, and he also thought the three young men ought to play themselves in the film.
So how did it work out? Well, Eastwood has put non-professional actors to good use in the past (Gran Torino), but in this case the story behind the film might be more interesting. Read it in Friday’s Style section in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
And speaking of interesting, did you know that Lois Weber was not only the most important female director of Hollywood’s silent era, she rivaled D.W. Griffith as the era’s most important filmmaker? (Yet, she died penniless and forgotten.) Dan Lybarger spoke to the people responsible for bringing two of Weber’s films to DVD. He also reviews the family comedy Peter Rabbit.
And there’s more, including Philip Martin on the Oscars and Karen Martin on the latest in home video options. So pick up a copy of the newspaper.